Late free kick sends Clover past Northwestern

Fernando Alpizar-Ramos’ knuckle-rocket with about five minutes left Friday night gave Clover a 1-0 boys’ soccer win over Northwestern, the Blue Eagles’ first triumph over the Trojans since 2012.

The host Blue Eagles drew a free kick 35 to 40 yards from goal late in a tense match, and Clover coach Graham Stafford muttered on the sideline “he can strike it, sometimes.”

This was one of those times.

Alpizar-Ramos struck the top of the ball and made it knuckle, fooling the Trojans’ freshman keeper Davis Hooten. He got a palm to the well-hit shot, but it went in anyway and the Blue Eagles’ bench erupted.

“I’m just so shocked that we won, honestly,” said Alpizar-Ramos afterward, his eyes welling and his chin trembling. “It makes me happy that I could help my team out and win.”

No. 8-ranked Northwestern (5-2-1, 3-1 Region 3-4A) was left to rue several wasted chances and some misfortune, including a Brock Manley shot that pinged off the post in the first half.

“Funny thing is, that’s the best we’ve played all year and we’ve lost,” said Trojan coach Dom Wren. “We’ve played not very well up to this point and we’ve won. These things happen, but I’ve been in this game long enough to know that it evens itself out over the season. Fair play to Clover.”

Northwestern senior centerback Alan Taylerson was a machine in the air, winning nearly every high ball pumped into the Trojans’ end. With Taylerson bossing the skies, it was going to take something different for Clover (6-3, 2-1) to win the game.

“That’s why I told him to shoot it,” said Stafford. “Is it a bit of luck? Yeah. But fortune favors the brave.”

Luck certainly favored the hosts at various points in Friday night’s tackle-filled contest during which Northwestern hit the woodwork twice.

Northwestern’s midfield was packed with skill players and two of them, seniors Erwin Salazar and Caleb Moore, carved out a chance on the left of the penalty area, Moore blasting the game’s first opportunity high and wide with 15 minutes played.

Taylerson had an answer for every high ball Clover keeper Robert Schreiner bombed into the Trojans’ end, but it was Schreiner who was left scrambling when Brock Manley’s pot-shot pinged off the right post, the Blue Eagles able to scramble the ball away with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Stafford’s team had its best chance of the first half in the waning moments, Alpizar-Ramos stabbing the ball to Caleb Costner who fired on goal. The shot skimmed through a crowd and Hooten saw it late, but breathed a sigh of relief when it skipped past the post.

Nil-nil at the half, but that very nearly changed in the first four minutes of the second period. A misplaced back-pass allowed Clover’s Buddy Curtin in on goal but he took a heavy touch at the golden moment and Hooten smothered the ball.

Fifteen minutes into the second half and Northwestern hit its second post, a header flying off the upright before Salazar’s follow-up was cleared off the goal-line.

“They’re an unbelievably physically strong team,” said Stafford, who was an assistant coach at Northwestern before getting the Clover head job. “You know it’s gonna be a game of maybe few chances, but you can bend as long as you don’t break. And we bent a few times tonight but that’s what playing defense is all about.”

Northwestern’s Devin Young then very nearly connected on a nifty overhead kick as the Trojans poured on the pressure. But Clover and Alpizar-Ramos took advantage of their final chance, one that left a rumble in the Trojan guts. Clover knew the feeling; on March 13, it led Fort Mill with about five minutes to go and conceded late, before losing in a shootout. This time, the Blue Eagles held their nerve.

“This region is very tight now. We’ve got ourselves back in it, and probably helped out a lot of other teams tonight,” said Stafford.

This story was originally published March 20, 2015 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Late free kick sends Clover past Northwestern."